CD Everton
The "Other Everton" of Viña del Mar, Chile
- Read about "Chile John's" Summer 2002 trip to C.D. Everton
- Visit the Ruleteros Society website
- Reports from the Inaugural Meeting of the Ruleteros Society: John Shearon
Few
Everton fans know about them but there is another Everton in the world
— Corporaçion Deportivo Everton from Viña del Mar,
a town near the Chilean port of Valparaiso. Despite the historical ties
between these two clubs thousands of miles from each other, there has
been almost no official association at club level and only in the past
two decades has anyone tried to raise awareness among Everton FC fans
of the existence of the "Ruleteros" of Chile.
That someone is John Shearon whose interest in CD Everton was sparked when he visited Chile in 1980. Since then he has been quietly pushing for more co-operation between the Everton of the Premiership and the Everton of the Chilean league. To that end, he has run a website featuring The Other Everton for the past few years: http://www.algorta.demon.co.uk/.
Recently,
"Chile John" has been authorised by CD Everton to be the official liaison
between themselves and Everton FC, to represent the "Ruleteros" in developing
closer ties with the Blues of Merseyside. On his latest visit to Viña
del Mar, John established the Ruleteros Society (Ruleteros being the nickname
of CD Everton due to the presence of a large Casino in the town) which
he hopes will foster passion and awareness among Evertonians of their
Evertonianos friends on the other side of the world and vice-versa through
things like merchandise and pushing the authorities at Goodison Park to
recognise this unique link a little more than they have done in the past.
John has allowed us to present the report from his latest visit to Chile which gives some insight into what the Ruleteros Society hopes to achieve and how you can get involved. If you would like to learn more about CD Everton who, like the Toffees, won the league title in 1987 but currently ply their trade in the Second Division, then visit John's website: The Other Everton.
